Breaking Hearts (Full Hearts #4)

by MJ Summers

  “Bruno said he was lucky the kick wasn’t to his crotch!” her uncle added, chuckling as he popped an olive into his mouth. “Could have been the end of any chance for more kids!”

  “Ricardo!” Daniela swatted his arm. “You’ll make her worry.”

  “No, no, it’s fine,” Alessandra said, refusing to look up from the table. “If it was something bad, he would have told me. If you’ll excuse me for a moment, I need to check on Tomas.”

  * * *

  Trey winced as he carefully lowered himself onto the bull. Fuck, that hurts. Okay, eight seconds. Any amount of pain can be tolerated for eight seconds. Get the money and go home.

  In spite of his better judgement, he nodded his head, indicating he was ready to go. The gate swung open and Trey got to work, tightening his legs around the bull in the hopes of not being lifted then slammed back down. He managed to get through the first three seconds without his leg taking another beating, but it still hurt like hell. It occurred to him that those last three seconds had been more like three hours, and the thought had him dreading the next five.

  Slam! Fuck. Slam! Shit. Slam! Son of a bitch!

  The buzzer sounded a millisecond before he was thrown off. He limped back to the gate as quickly as he could, keeping his eye on the bull the entire time. His face went pale with the intensity of the pain. Well, that wasn’t exactly like riding a wave.

  Miguel reached an arm over the gate to help him up. “You okay, Trey?”

  Trey gave him a terse nod. “Fucking hurts, but I guess that’s part of the deal.”

  “Yes, it is,” he said with a grin. “Good ride. You think you can do it again today? You just made the finals.”

  Trey gulped, not sure whether to be happy or full of dread.

  * * *

  “Look who’s home, Tomas!” Alessandra exclaimed as her cousin’s truck came into view. She and Tomas had been in the shade of a mango tree, reading a book. Enthusiastic waves were exchanged as Miguel parked the truck in front of the house. Trey got out, looking a little worse for wear as he held his arms open for Tomas, who was running to him at full speed. A look of pain crossed Trey’s face as he crouched down, but he was quick to hide it under the brim of his straw hat.

  Miguel unrolled his window to holler a quick goodbye to everyone. “We can’t stay. Bruno wants to get over to his girlfriend’s place.” He smiled at them. “Alessa, why didn’t you tell us your husband was playing us? He pretended to be a novice and then, after we went to the trouble of bringing him along, he beat us both. He’s a con artist, and we think you knew.”

  “Did not. Losing to him is your punishment for getting him involved with this insanity in the first place!” Alessandra waved her hand at him in irritation.

  “We won’t be fooled by you again, con man!” Miguel called to Trey before he turned his truck around and drove off.

  Trey laughed a little and shook his head as the truck pulled away, then he turned his attention to his son and wife. “It’s so good to see you!” Trey scooped Tomas up in a big hug and stood, waiting for Alessandra to make her way over to them. He pulled her in for a long kiss. “Missed you both so much.”

  “We missed you too,” Alessandra said. “I can’t believe you came in second place.”

  “Not bad for my first time out there, right?” Trey beamed. “I’ve never made eight hundred dollars for only a minute’s worth of work before.”

  “Congratulations. I’m very happy for you.”

  “Be happy for us, Alessa.” He gave her a kiss on the lips. “What’s mine is yours, and I intend to make sure there’s plenty.”

  Alessandra gave him a grateful smile. “Did you get hurt?”

  “Nope. Told you I’d be fine,” he said as he set Tomas back on the grass.

  The two watched as the little boy chased a butterfly in a zigzag across the lawn.

  Alessandra gave him a skeptical look. “You’re sure you’re fine?”

  “Of course. Do I look hurt?”

  She took a couple of steps forward, tracing her finger down his chest. “Good, because later I’m going to climb onto your lap and ride you until the sun comes up.”

  Trey swallowed hard. “That’ll be real nice,” he managed, although Alessa saw him wince a tiny bit at her words.

  “Oh yes. All night. Hard.”

  “Can’t wait.”

  * * *

  That night, after Tomas was in bed, Trey started for the bathroom to have a shower. Alessandra stopped him as he was closing the door. “Why don’t I join you?”

  “Um, you know, as nice as that sounds, I’m pretty yucky right now. Can I meet you in bed in a bit, though?”

  “Sure.” Her eyes dared him to keep up the charade.

  “Be out in a few minutes,” he said with a quick kiss.

  Alessandra got into bed and waited, torn between finding the situation amusing and antagonizing. How could he refuse to admit he was hurt? When Trey finally came into the room, he was wearing only his boxer briefs. He quickly flicked off the light, then climbed into bed, carefully lying on his side. Giving her a light kiss, he said, “I’m beat. That was a rough weekend.”

  Alessandra turned onto her side and let her lips hover over his. “Too tired for me? I’ll make it worth your effort.”

  “I could never be too tired for you,” he said as his mouth found hers. Alessandra parted her lips as he slid his tongue in search of hers. Trey’s hand found its way to her breasts, brushing against the fabric of her nightie. He moaned as she ran her hand down the front of his underwear. Alessandra smiled as she tried to push him onto his back and he resisted, trying to position himself on top of her instead. Still won’t admit it? Okay, let’s try this . . .

  She tugged at his underwear, pulling them down roughly. She heard his breath cut short as the fabric passed his thighs, and still he refused to tell her the truth. Reaching around behind him, she ran her hand down toward the back of his leg until he grabbed her wrist.

  “Stop. Not there,” he said quickly.

  “Why not?” she asked curtly. “Did you get kicked by a bull or something?”

  She watched in the dim light of the moon as he shut his eyes in defeat. “Who told you?”

  Smacking him on the arm, she glared at him. “My aunt. And it should have been you, you idiota!”

  “I’m not going to tell you every time I get a little bruise,” he answered defensively.

  Throwing back the covers, Alessa crossed the room in two steps and turned the light back on. “Let me see it.”

  “No.”

  “Let me see it. I’m your wife. This won’t work if you’re keeping things from me.” Alessandra put her hand on her hips.

  “Shit,” he muttered under his breath, rolling over onto his stomach. “It’s noth—”

  He finally gave up when Alessandra gasped. “Ai meu Deus! Isso está horrível! Your leg is completely swollen. And purple and black. It’s your entire thigh!”

  “Seriously, it’s not a big deal.”

  “Not a big deal? Looking at it makes me want to vomit!”

  “Thanks. Nice to know you find me disgusting.” He rolled back onto his side and tugged the sheet up over himself.

  “Of course I don’t find you disgusting. It’s just so bad. It makes my knees weak to see you like that.”

  “Let’s just forget it. Get back in bed, okay?”

  “No. I’m going to get you some ice and something for the pain.”

  “You don’t have to take care of me, I’m fine.”

  “Clearly, somebody has to take care of you because you’re not going to do it yourself.” Giving him a dirty look, she opened the door and walked out, returning a few minutes later. “Here.”

  “Thank you,” Trey said, taking the glass of water and the pill she offered him. “And I’m sorry for not telling you.”

  “You’re welcome. And you should be sorry. Keeping things from me is no different than lying.”

  “In this case, I didn’t think it
was worth telling you about. But if it makes you happy, I’ll give you an inventory of every little scrape from now on.” He put the glass on the night table and took a towel packed with ice from her.

  “Good.” Alessandra flicked off the light and got back into bed, sitting up with her back against the headboard.

  “I just realized I don’t know how long you stay mad about things,” Trey said after a minute.

  “Not too long. I’ll get over this a lot quicker if you say you’re done with bull riding.”

  “Hmm. In that case, you may be angry for a while.”

  “Trey—”

  “Alessandra, you’re not going to talk me out of this. I’m sorry that you don’t like it, but it turns out I’m pretty good at it, and you’re just going to have to accept that I’m doing this.”

  “Fine.” She shrugged.

  “Fine, like everything’s actually okay or fine, like you’re going to stop talking to me?”

  “The second one,” she said as though just deciding.

  “Fine,” he said firmly.

  Alessandra lay down and fluffed her pillow furiously before turning away from him and curling up as close to the edge of the bed as possible.

  Thirty

  The next morning, the three sat around the tiny table having breakfast. Trey and Alessa both doted on Tomas, hoping he wouldn’t notice the awkward tension still evident between them.

  “Play outside now,” Tomas said to his dad as Trey stood to clear his dishes.

  “Sure thing, buddy. Should we go do our chores?”

  “Yup!”

  Tomas tugged his rubber boots on and tried unlocking the door without much luck. Alessandra got up to help him. “Stay close to the house for a minute. I need to talk to your dad, okay, rapazinho?”

  “ ’Kay.”

  Leaning against the door jamb, Alessandra watched as Tomas toddled over to an old tricycle that had become his favourite. He climbed on and grinned at her as he made motorcycle sounds. Alessa watched as Trey pulled on his cowboy boots. She cleared her throat. “I don’t want to fight with you.”

  Trey straightened up and stared down at her for a moment. “Me neither.”

  Sighing heavily, Alessandra said, “When you share a life with someone, there may be times when one person does something the other doesn’t like. Right now, you’re going to do what you want and I’m not going to like it. I’ll try to be supportive of you but I can’t stop myself from worrying.”

  Trey crossed to her and took her hands in his. “I’m not going to get hurt. I promise.”

  “That’s a promise you can’t make.”

  “I know it sounds hard to believe, but I just know it. I don’t know how I know it, but I just do.”

  “That is very arrogant. I don’t know if I can live with someone who allows arrogance to be his guide in life.”

  Trey let go of her hands. “Arrogance? It’s not arrogant to know you’re good at something and to know you can be a success at it. It’s not arrogance to try to make a good life for your family.” Walking out the door, he turned back. “For someone who says she doesn’t want to fight, you’re doing a good job of keeping this one going.”

  * * *

  The rest of the week passed in an uncomfortable standoff, neither Trey nor Alessandra willing to move from their positions. They both ached to touch each other and make love, but neither knew how to come back together without giving in. They got into bed at night facing away from each other. Every time Alessa sighed in the darkness, Trey felt an urgent need to reach out and touch her, but he thought she might pull away.

  Friday morning found Trey in the barn, grooming the horses. His cellphone rang and he took a break, seeing it was his mother calling on Skype. He had been avoiding her for over a month now and his stomach flipped over when he thought of how upset she’d be that he had gotten married without telling his family. Deciding he couldn’t avoid her forever, he answered the call. They got off to a very tense start on the call, both trying to suss out what the other was feeling. Once they’d gotten through enough small talk, Fern approached the tenuous topic.

  “So, have you heard from the court yet?”

  “Nothing yet,” Trey answered.

  “This is getting ridiculous. How can they keep you there so long?”

  “It takes time, Mom, but there’s no sense in worrying about it since there’s nothing I can do anyway.”

  “Hmph.” His mom gave him a skeptical look. “You still haven’t sent me the mailing address for where you’re living. That letter from Cole has been collecting dust on the kitchen counter here for weeks.”

  Shaking his head, Trey stared at her. “I already told you. I’m not accepting their help, so please stop trying to convince me.”

  “I can’t believe that you won’t accept help from your own family but you’ll take a handout from some strangers.”

  “It’s not a handout. Alessandra’s family needs a lot of help and I’ve been working very hard for them since I got here.”

  “Well, how much money have you saved up so far to buy a house?”

  Trey’s shoulders dropped. “You’ll be surprised to hear I actually figured out a way to make a decent living fast.”

  “How?”

  “Don’t worry about it. I’ve got it covered.” Trey avoided his mother’s glare, which was unmistakable in spite of the tiny screen.

  “What is that supposed to mean? Why won’t you tell me?” she asked before gasping. “You’re not selling drugs, are you?”

  “Jesus. No, Mom. I’m not a drug dealer. How could you even think that?”

  “I don’t know what to think anymore! You won’t tell me anything.”

  “Alright. I’ve actually been doing some bull riding,” he mumbled.

  “What?” her face screwed up in confusion. “Did you say you’ve been bullfighting?”

  “No!” Trey stifled a laugh. “Bull riding. I said bull riding.”

  “Trey! I can’t believe you! Do you know how dangerous that is?”

  “I’ve heard. I’ve been taking shit all week from Alessandra about it.”

  “Alessandra? The nanny? Why does she care?” His mother looked very confused.

  “I . . . I don’t know. I guess she’s worried about Tomas.”

  “What aren’t you telling me, Trey?”

  “Nothing. There’s nothing to tell.” Glancing toward the barn door, he saw Alessandra, her eyes welling up with tears. Shit. He knew by the look on her face that she’d heard what he’d just said. She turned and hurried out the door.

  Trey looked back at his phone. “Mom, I’ve got to go. I’ll talk to you later.”

  “Trey, we need to—”

  “No we don’t. I gotta go. Something just happened here that I need to take care of immediately. Love you.” Trey hung up and jogged out the door to find Alessandra.

  * * *

  Alessandra rushed behind the barn, where she hoped no one would find her. Tears streamed down her face. Sliding down, she sat with her back against the old building, shedding the emotions she’d been bottling up all week. The sight of his boots in front of her made Alessandra turn away from Trey to hide her tears.

  Sitting down next to her, he gently tried to turn her face to him with his fingers on her chin, but she brushed his hand away. “I’m sorry, Alessa. I haven’t told my family about us yet. I haven’t spoken to my mom since we had that big argument in July, and now I’m not sure how to approach the subject. They’re going to be really hurt that we got married without them. Without even telling them.”

  Alessandra stood, needing to get away from Trey. “You haven’t even told her we’re together! She still thinks I’m just the nanny!”

  Trey stood and followed her as she hurried back around the barn. “Wait. Alessandra, wait a minute. Please let me apologize.”

  “Why should I do that? She even asked you what was going on and you told her there was nothing to tell. Nothing to tell! Is that what I am?” Her voice rose
and her accent became thicker in the way it did when she was angry.

  “No, God no! Of course not. I haven’t talked to her in weeks and we were back in the middle of the same fight when you walked in. It just wasn’t the time for me to bring up the fact that I’m married. I’m going to tell them, of course I am. That just wasn’t the right moment. I’m sorry that I hurt you but it honestly has nothing to do with how I feel about you. You have to trust me on that.”

  “How can I trust a man who is keeping me a secret from his own family?”

  Trey sighed, lowering his voice. “You’re right. I’m sorry, Alessa. I know I should have told them. In fact, I’ll call right now and tell them, if you like.”

  Their argument was interrupted by the sound of Miguel’s truck pulling up near the barn.

  “Shit,” Trey muttered under his breath as they watched Miguel unroll the window.

  “Hello, cousin! And new cousin! You ready to go?” he called to Trey.

  Trey rubbed his face with his hand. “Yeah, can you just give me a minute?”

  Miguel looked from Alessandra to Trey, then nodded, a look of understanding crossing his face. “Sure, but we’re running a little late already.”

  “I’ll be right there.” Turning to his wife, Trey spoke quietly. “I fucked up. I know I did, but I can fix it. I’ll be back late tonight and I’ll call them then, okay? It will still be early there.”

  Alessandra rolled her tongue over her teeth, her lips closed tight. She shook her head at Trey. “I don’t really care when you tell them. The damage is done.”

  She hurried into the house before he could say another word.

  Thirty-One

  Alessandra lay on the bed, feeling dead inside. She’d just gotten Tomas to sleep for the night and now was faced with a long evening of stewing in her anger and heartache. Her cellphone chimed and her heart quickened at the thought that maybe it was Trey. But it wasn’t. It was her best friend, Cyssah.